My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You. My eyes are dim with griefThe phrase "My eyes are dim with grief" captures the profound sorrow and weariness experienced by the psalmist. In Hebrew, the word for "dim" (עָשַׁשׁ, 'ashash) conveys a sense of being weakened or failing. This imagery of dim eyes is often used in the Bible to express deep emotional distress or physical exhaustion. The eyes, being the windows to the soul, reflect the inner turmoil and the overwhelming burden of grief. Historically, this expression resonates with the human experience of mourning and loss, where one's vision of hope and joy becomes clouded by tears and sorrow. I call to You, O LORD, every day
The psalmist's persistent action, "I call to You, O LORD, every day," demonstrates a relentless pursuit of divine intervention despite the overwhelming grief. The Hebrew word for "call" (קָרָא, qara) implies a loud cry or proclamation, indicating the intensity and urgency of the psalmist's plea. The use of "O LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) signifies a personal and covenantal relationship with God, emphasizing trust and reliance on His faithfulness. The phrase "every day" underscores the psalmist's unwavering commitment to seeking God, reflecting a deep-rooted faith that persists even in the darkest times. I spread out my hands to You
The gesture "I spread out my hands to You" is a powerful symbol of supplication and surrender. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, spreading out one's hands was a common posture of prayer, signifying openness, vulnerability, and a plea for mercy. The Hebrew verb for "spread out" (פָּרַשׂ, paras) conveys the act of extending or stretching forth, illustrating the psalmist's earnest desire to reach out to God. This act of lifting hands is not only a physical expression but also a spiritual one, representing the psalmist's hope and expectation for God's intervention and comfort amidst the affliction. Persons / Places / Events 1. The Psalmist (Heman the Ezrahite)The author of Psalm 88, traditionally identified as Heman the Ezrahite, a wise man and a musician in the time of King David or Solomon. He is known for his deep lament and expression of despair in this psalm. 2. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant name of God, to whom the psalmist directs his cries and supplications. Yahweh is the personal and relational God of Israel. 3. The Place of LamentWhile not a specific geographical location, the psalmist's lamentation suggests a place of deep personal and spiritual anguish, a metaphorical "valley of the shadow of death." Teaching Points The Reality of SufferingSuffering is a part of the human experience, even for the faithful. The psalmist's lament shows that it is normal to feel overwhelmed by grief and to express it openly before God. Persistent PrayerDespite the depth of his despair, the psalmist continues to call upon the Lord daily. This teaches the importance of perseverance in prayer, even when answers seem delayed. Posture of SurrenderThe act of spreading out hands symbolizes surrender and openness to God. In times of distress, believers are encouraged to adopt a posture of surrender, trusting in God's sovereignty and timing. God's Presence in DarknessEven when God seems silent, He is present. The psalmist's continued dialogue with God amidst his suffering is a testament to faith in God's presence, even in the darkest times. Hope Beyond DespairWhile Psalm 88 is a lament without a resolution, it points to the broader biblical account of hope and redemption. Believers are reminded that their ultimate hope is in Christ, who has overcome the world. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the psalmist's expression of grief in Psalm 88:9 resonate with your own experiences of suffering or despair? 2. In what ways can you incorporate the practice of persistent prayer into your daily life, especially during challenging times? 3. Reflect on a time when you felt God was silent. How did you continue to seek Him, and what did you learn from that experience? 4. How can the act of physically spreading out your hands in prayer enhance your spiritual posture and attitude of surrender to God? 5. Consider the broader biblical account of hope and redemption. How does this perspective help you navigate through personal seasons of lament and darkness? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 6:6-7Similar expressions of weariness and grief, where the psalmist also speaks of his eyes wasting away with sorrow, highlighting the theme of persistent lament and seeking God in distress. Lamentations 3:49-50The prophet Jeremiah expresses unceasing tears and waiting for the Lord, paralleling the psalmist's continual calling upon God despite ongoing suffering. Job 11:13-15Encouragement to stretch out one's hands to God, suggesting a posture of prayer and surrender, which aligns with the psalmist's action of spreading out his hands to the Lord. People Abaddon, Ethan, Heman, Korah, Mahalath, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Affliction, Consumeth, Cry, Daily, Dim, Eye, Forth, Grief, Grieved, Grows, Hands, Languisheth, Mourneth, O, Reason, Sorrow, Spread, Stretched, Trouble, Wasted, Wasteth, WastingDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 88:9 5134 blindness, natural
5149 eyes
5156 hand
8653 importunity, to God Psalm 88:1-9 5970 unhappiness Psalm 88:1-18 5831 depression
8613 prayer, persistence Psalm 88:3-18 5265 complaints Psalm 88:6-9 8615 prayer, doubts Library Out of the Deep of Doubt, Darkness, and Hell.
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night unto Thee. Oh! let my prayer enter into Thy presence. For my soul is full of trouble and my life draweth nigh unto Hell. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in a place of darkness, and in the deep.--Ps. lxxxviii. 1, 2. If I go down to Hell, Thou art there also. Yea, the darkness is no darkness with Thee; but the night is as clear as the day.--Ps. cxxxix. 7, 11. I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my calling. …
Charles Kingsley—Out of the DeepHow to Make Use of Christ as the Truth, that we May Get Our Case and Condition Cleared up to Us.
The believer is oft complaining of darkness concerning his case and condition, so as he cannot tell what to say of himself, or what judgment to pass on himself, and he knoweth not how to win to a distinct and clear discovery of his state and condition. Now, it is truth alone, and the Truth, that can satisfy them as to this. The question then is, how they shall make use of, and apply themselves to this truth, to the end they may get the truth of their condition discovered to them. But first let us …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life How a Desolate Man Ought to Commit Himself into the Hands of God
O Lord, Holy Father, be Thou blessed now and evermore; because as Thou wilt so it is done, and what Thou doest is good. Let Thy servant rejoice in Thee, not in himself, nor in any other; because Thou alone art the true joy, Thou art my hope and my crown, Thou art my joy and my honour, O Lord. What hath Thy servant, which he received not from Thee, even without merit of his own? Thine are all things which Thou hast given, and which Thou hast made. I am poor and in misery even from my youth up,(1) …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ Our Status.
"And he believed in the Lord: and he counted it to him for righteousness." --Gen. xv. 6. The right touches a man's status. So long as the law has not proven him guilty, has not convicted and sentenced him, his legal status is that of a free and law-abiding citizen. But as soon as his guilt is proven in court and the jury has convicted him, he passes from that into the status of the bound and law-breaking citizen. The same applies to our relation to God. Our status before God is that either of the …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit His Past Work.
His past work was accomplished by Him when he became incarnate. It was finished when He died on Calvary's cross. We have therefore to consider first of all these fundamentals of our faith. I. The Work of the Son of God is foreshadowed and predicted in the Old Testament Scriptures. II. The incarnation of the Son of God. III. His Work on the cross and what has been accomplished by it. I. Through the Old Testament Scriptures, God announced beforehand the work of His Son. This is a great theme and one …
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ How is Christ, as the Life, to be Applied by a Soul that Misseth God's Favour and Countenance.
The sixth case, that we shall speak a little to, is a deadness, occasioned by the Lord's hiding of himself, who is their life, and "the fountain of life," Ps. xxxvi. 9, and "whose loving-kindness is better than life," Ps. lxiii. 3, and "in whose favour is their life," Ps. xxx. 5. A case, which the frequent complaints of the saints manifest to be rife enough, concerning which we shall, 1. Shew some of the consequences of the Lord's hiding his face, whereby the soul's case will appear. 2. Shew the …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life Letter xvi to Rainald, Abbot of Foigny
To Rainald, Abbot of Foigny Bernard declares to him how little he loves praise; that the yoke of Christ is light; that he declines the name of father, and is content with that of brother. 1. In the first place, do not wonder if titles of honour affright me, when I feel myself so unworthy of the honours themselves; and if it is fitting that you should give them to me, it is not expedient for me to accept them. For if you think that you ought to observe that saying, In honour preferring one another …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux Letter xxiv (Circa A. D. 1126) to Oger, Regular Canon
To Oger, Regular Canon [34] Bernard blames him for his resignation of his pastoral charge, although made from the love of a calm and pious life. None the less, he instructs him how, after becoming a private person, he ought to live in community. To Brother Oger, the Canon, Brother Bernard, monk but sinner, wishes that he may walk worthily of God even to the end, and embraces him with the fullest affection. 1. If I seem to have been too slow in replying to your letter, ascribe it to my not having …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux The Wrath of God
What does every sin deserve? God's wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.' Matt 25: 41. Man having sinned, is like a favourite turned out of the king's favour, and deserves the wrath and curse of God. He deserves God's curse. Gal 3: 10. As when Christ cursed the fig-tree, it withered; so, when God curses any, he withers in his soul. Matt 21: 19. God's curse blasts wherever it comes. He deserves also God's wrath, which is …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500
In the second period of the history of the Church under the Christian Empire, the Church, although existing in two divisions of the Empire and experiencing very different political fortunes, may still be regarded as forming a whole. The theological controversies distracting the Church, although different in the two halves of the Graeco-Roman world, were felt to some extent in both divisions of the Empire and not merely in the one in which they were principally fought out; and in the condemnation …
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History Sense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son.
For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. Rom. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. Ps. xlix. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' (Isa. vi. 8). But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said, …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius Of Faith. The Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties.
1. A brief recapitulation of the leading points of the whole discussion. The scope of this chapter. The necessity of the doctrine of faith. This doctrine obscured by the Schoolmen, who make God the object of faith, without referring to Christ. The Schoolmen refuted by various passages. 2. The dogma of implicit faith refuted. It destroys faith, which consists in a knowledge of the divine will. What this will is, and how necessary the knowledge of it. 3. Many things are and will continue to be implicitly …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 88:9 NIVPsalm 88:9 NLTPsalm 88:9 ESVPsalm 88:9 NASBPsalm 88:9 KJV
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